Audrey Hepburn Interview – 1988

Audrey Hepburn Interview – 1988 

Now, my final guest was a child in wartorn Holland who eventually went to Hollywood and starred in some of the most memorable movies ever made. Her career as a film star has spanned something like 40 years and she has recently emerged in a very important new role as special ambassador for UNICEF. And I’m delighted to welcome this Sunday the Oscarwinning actress Audrey Hepern.

[Music] I have to say it straight away. It’s quite amazing. You know, from the 50s and 60s and all those films, you have hardly changed. You haven’t gained an ounce. Listen, now what I what can I say? And you know when when I look back on that period at a time when Marilyn Monroe had made curves the fashion, you know, you really sort of did away with bosoms and curves all on your own.

Really, they’re still around. I just wasn’t blessed with them. But, you know, I I made it uh to this lovely interview. Nevertheless, years later, in spite of the fact that I had no curves at that time, though. Was there anything you especially wanted to change? Did you want to look any different? Oh, yes.

 I mean always as a child and then and even now except now I sort of relax you know I sort of accepted myself the way I am but of course I wanted to have more shape and I don’t want to be as tall as I was especially as I wanted to be a dancer and as I have rather large feet once I was up on on toe you can imagine I was a very tall dancer so I had complexes about all of those things you know but um I’ve had so much good fortune anyway that I’ve learned to live with myself as they Oh, here we are.

 We’re all envious of you and and the image that you created. But I want to catch up on the family. Bring it right up to date. You have two sons quite grown up now. Big sons. Yes. One of 28 and one of 18. Do they go into uh the film business? Well, yes. My eldest son is in production and working very hard and hoping one day to be a producer or director.

 And my youngest son is uh in art school. Did you give up films because of the family? Yes, I did. I mean, I sort of stopped wanting to travel around because it did mean leaving my sons and so I stayed home to enjoy them. You know, I would have hated to make movies all around the world and never to have known my sons and now they’re off on their own and so now I have time to go around the world for other children.

Yes. It is interesting, isn’t it, that you gave up films for children and and here you are back working harder than ever for children. Yes. So, a special ambassador for UNICEF. What exactly does the job entail? Well, as as I just said, it means traveling a great deal. What I really am is a messenger, if you like, for for UNICEF.

Um, I go on field trips to I’ve been to Africa. I’ve just come back from Latin America to see what the needs are. We know them, but it’s good to observe. And then I fly around the world making people aware of them. Did did you know how how massive the job was going to be when you took it on? Probably not.

 It’s so it sort of is also snowballed you know that there’s so much involved apart from uh seeing and meeting the media and talking to people and in general it’s it’s it’s it’s advocacy for the needs of a child and there’s so many children so there’s lots to do presumably when you amass information like like this you then have to talk to people in power in high places you’ve got to travel the world and talk to influential people.

Yes. But did you adapt though to that side of it having to convince people? Well, I I was received by the president of Ecuador who I think is uh very uh uh committed to children. In fact, in in his inauguration address, he said the only privileged people under my government will be children. And a lovely thing has happened and I was there for the launching of something called the pro-andes project.

 These are five Andian countries that have united for a common good, for education, for children, for poverty, against poverty if you like. And this is a big and very interesting project. And UNICEF has is organizing and giving the knowhow and raising funds for child care immunization. There’s very very little immunization. Does all of this type of work, all the traveling, everything that’s involved, and it is a very punishing schedule.

Does all of that come easy to you? The part of loving a child comes easy to us all. What doesn’t come easy to me are the all the airplanes and the jet lag and that kind of thing. Um, I usually go with a rather heavy heart because I know what I’m going to see. I don’t have to go there to see it because I know what I’m going to see.

 Yet I must. But I somehow always come away uh much more light-hearted than than when I go because I one really can be optimistic when you see what’s being done. And that is wonderful. You know, there is a great deal um needed. But in a country like like South America, they have to make their children well we do too.

 Children must be the priority. We we have to stop thinking that first it’s the economy or the arament or whatever. First it has to be a child because a child is the most um fragile and the most vulnerable and can’t wait for an economic crisis to pass. Sure. Won’t be around anymore if you wait too long.

 You see, you’re obviously devastated on occasions when you see child suffering. And yet, if I go back in your in your own life, I mean, you similarly suffer during the war in a different way. In a very different way, not not comparable at all. I mean, yes, I I lived through a through five years of war as all the children in in England.

And I had the difference that we were occupied. We had a German occupation. This was in Holland. In Holland. And little by little there was obviously very little food and the winters were long and all children started to suffer from malnutrition. So God knows I know the value of food and I was suffering from a rather uh high degree of of malnutrition when the war ended.

 But my life was never in danger. My health might might have been impaired had it gone on. Wasn’t it a UNICEF type organization? Yes, it was UNRA which was the forerunner of UNICEF. It was a the United Nations organization that helped children in Europe. Then then once those children were taken care of, they went on to take care of the children in the developing countries.

 But if you think that war ravaged Europe, you know, when really Europe lay in ruins and there was something like 20 million people homeless and the amount of children. So how badly affected was your family for example your immediate family? Well um my two brothers one one was was was hidden more or less and the other was taken to Germany. He was a student.

I obviously lost some members of my families because they were they were taken as hostages and shot as as as a reprisal for something the underground had done and everything. But that happened a lot. As a young girl, did you get involved in any way in the resistance movement? Not really.

 Some stories have been exaggerated about my contribution of bringing around messages occasionally because there was nobody else to do it, you know, but I did that a couple of times. I was really too young. But you know, but as a child and considering that you had very little food, as you say, you were malnourished. What sort of dreams of food did you have or little fantasies? Oh, we that that was a great topic of conversation of what we were going to eat when the war ended.

 And it usually had lots to do with bread, butter, and lots of jam or something, you know, very sweet things or whole boxes of chocolate or, you know, and in fact, I think one of the first things I did was eat a whole can of condensed milk and then was terribly ill afterwards. Sweet things is what I longed for.

 I was just thinking also, of course, they made that very famous movie, A Bridge too far, very much about the war you’ve been describing. Well, it was in fact where I lived. That bridge I walked across for years because I I used to leave home, walk down one way, walk across that bridge to to the to the music school where I studied ballet. So, in in effect, it was my war.

We were evacuated before that battle started, but I was there when the airbornes landed and everything and then we left. I must of course mention some of the films that emerged uh after your ballet studies. I mean once you got into films and I know I’m going to sound like a crawler today, but this is genuine.

 I mean, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is just one of my all-time favorite movies. And she Holly, she was a great character. Really cookie character in that film, wasn’t she? You know, Truman Capot wrote her. Not so bad. Were you honestly able to do that whistle? No, it was dubbed in. Oh.

 You have shattered all my love and I tried so hard. I did get something. It was more like a squeak, you know, but the real thing was dubbed in. And then of course, My Fair Lady. How did you cope with a Cockney accent when that film was made? Well, um, you know, I I sort of worked a bit with a lovely lady in in in California to sort of help it a bit, but I couldn’t really speak real Cockney in the picture.

 I don’t think anybody would have ever understood. So it had to be a sort of in between. Did you say that immortal phrase, move your blooming? Yes, that I did. That wasn’t D. You did all of that. I can do that all over again. Well, that I did. Yeah. But do you still look at a lot of film scripts thinking that maybe you’ll do some I I do receive film scripts.

 I’ve I must say in the last few years I haven’t really I’ve rarely lately I got one that I didn’t mind at all but I’m too busy with UNICEF but um they either want me to play somebody too young which would be ridiculous or too old which would be equally ridiculous because then you got to sort of masquerade something you’re not just want to be me you know be my age and there not that many parts around you but would you be tempted to make another one if the if the right script came along if it was fun yes oh yes I’d love to do

something that, you know, doesn’t have to be a big part, but something that was fun to do. And also, not all that long ago, you teamed up again with Gregory Peek to at the Oscar ceremony. Yes. That’s been quite fun. And I’m going to see him again in March because the American Film Institute, the AFI, is honoring him in in March for life achievement.

And naturally, I’m going to fly to Hollywood to pay tribute to my friend. Do you find this kind of life you’re leading at the moment a very fulfilling one? Very very. It um well it fulfills a a need you know which we all have to do something and uh you know I I hope one can contribute to to to alleviate some suffering.

 And I also think it’s lovely that in your personal life, you’ve ended up with someone from your own country, from Holland. Yes. Yes. Robert is totally Dutch. I’m only just half Dutch. But what a blessing he is because we do this together. You know, I could never do it alone. Go around the world together. And he’s just as passionate about children and UNICEF as I am.

It’s lovely to have that support, isn’t it? Really? Yes. Well, I must say we’re delighted that you came to see us. I know it’s a very fleeting visit to London, but thank you very much. Lovely to talk to you. Thank you, Gloria. And thank you for everything you’re doing. Oh, for your needy children. That’s very kind. Bless you.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Audrey Hepin. And that’s all for this week. I hope you make a very special point of being with us for Sunday next week. And we’ll obviously see you then. Thank you very much. Bye-bye. [Music] [Music] [Applause] Heat. [Music]